Selective N-Alkylation of Aminobenzenesulfonamides with Alcohols for the Synthesis of Amino-( N -alkyl)benzenesulfonamides Catalyzed by a Metal-Ligand Bifunctional Ruthenium Catalyst.

[( p -Cymene)Ru(2,2'-bpyO)(H 2 O)] was proven to be an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of amino-( N -alkyl)benzenesulfonamides via selective N-alkylation of aminobenzenesulfonamides with alcohols. It was confirmed that functional groups in the bpy ligand are crucial for the activity of catalysts. Furthermore, the utilization of this catalytic system for the preparation of a biologically active compound was presented.